


Dreams

by days4daisy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angelcest, Blood, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Season/Series 07, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 17:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4189245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/days4daisy/pseuds/days4daisy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Castiel broke us, Inias," Ion says. "He did what Lucifer could not."</p>
<p>"Castiel...dreamed." Inias smiles up at the trees. "He was wrong in the end, poor brother. But I will always envy his dreams." He turns a curious head. "Have you dreamed, Ion?"</p>
<p>--<br/>Takes place sometime between episodes 7x02 - 7x17.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the SPN Rare Pair Fest - congrats on 200 posts!
> 
> My prompt was:
> 
> _23\. Pairing(s): Ion/Inias (Or for that matter any other rare M/M pairing that fits the prompt, Debriel wouldn't be too bad, either.)_   
>  _Prompt: He couldn't have Castiel._
> 
> I have a feeling this was supposed to be jealous fun! I love jealous fun! Instead, I made it all *Season 7 Angst-Fest*... I should stick to whumping up my own ideas ^^;
> 
> I hope you enjoy this anyway, Mystery Prompter :)

There is a strange peace here. 

Ion stands just beyond chain fences, on the bank of municipal waters. A place of death and the rebirth of an evil that may threaten the foundation of this world. 

But now, in the peach light of sunset, the surface is calm. A gentle sparkle on the reflected green of neighboring trees.

The calm of this place still pales to the beauty on high. Or, what once was. Before the fields of Heaven were littered with the corpses of Raphael's faithful. Strewn, now, with the most loyal to Castiel as well. Rivals rose and fell in the aftermath. War, always war.

And now, purification. Ion hears the screams from Naomi's office. But it is the silence after that lingers in his mind.

Ion has reasons for this reprieve. It does not surprise him to find his brother of the same mind. 

Inias kneels at the water's edge, his hands folded in front of him. Head bowed in a voiceless prayer.

Inias still grieves for Castiel.

That name is no longer spoken in Heaven. There is no need for it. Castiel is dead, lost to his own madness. Like Lucifer, in the end. His legacy is written in the shredded remains of his kin. Pastures of the Lord bathed in blood. 

Castiel is a testament to the danger of free will. 

In his wake, a more ordered rule has prevailed. Blank, serene faces departing Naomi's chambers. Heaven, as it was meant to be. No choice, no feeling. Only soldiers with a mission.

Ion tells himself it is better this way. But he still had to get away. He finds comfort, perhaps morbid, in this site of final judgment. 

Ion did not see the end with his own eyes. But he heard accounts of their brother's final moments. Castiel burst beneath the surface, the old beasts of the world free once more to feed.

"We should return home, brother," he says.

Inias does not look at him. "I can't be in that place."

Ion sighs. His brother speaks without caution, and it worries him. 

Ion is not like the others. He will not betray Inias' sentiments any more than Inias will betray his. But it is dangerous to deny Heaven now that the cleansing has begun. Until now, Inias has not been beckoned to Naomi's offices. But it does not take much.

"You are...uneasy, awaiting orders." Ion creates excuses on his brother's behalf. "Don't be. Revelation will come soon, and the Garrison will move-"

"Do you think he remembered us, Ion?" Inias drags fingers across the surface. "Do you think he felt pain?"

In the most secret corner of Ion's mind - yes, he hopes Castiel felt pain. He hopes his brother's death was like centuries. That Castiel felt skin and grace torn apart by his own greed. Seam by seam, an endless wave of agony.

Ion did not favor Raphael. But Castiel's madness destroyed everything. Ion cannot forgive Castiel's selfishness.

And he will not forgive Castiel for the slump of his brother's shoulders. Inias' grief contrasts to the sunset, pink light reflected in a lazy dance.

Ion chooses a safe answer. "Angels do not feel pain."

Inias smiles over his shoulder. "You know better than that, Ion."

Of course Ion does. He knows many things he should not. 

"Knowledge is pain," Ion says. Inias offers a look of concern. Ion does not want it. "We should go, brother-"

"No." Inias shakes his head as he stands. "I can't be there." Ion feels his grief like a cool breeze. 

Inias loved Castiel. He would have gladly given himself to the cause. Submerged himself in these same waters and followed Castiel to whatever fate

Perhaps Ion is too simple, too new to this human form. Maybe he cannot feel as Castiel felt, see what Castiel saw. But Ion does understand the faith of their kin. The pain of those left behind, like Inias. 

Why was loyalty not enough for their brother? Why, when he already had so much? 

But, when has the loyalty of angels ever been enough? Is this not why God created Man?

Dangerous thoughts. 

Ion closes his eyes and quiets his mind. Even here, Naomi may be listening. 

When he opens them, he finds Inias watching with interest. Ion feels exposed, an unwelcome sensation. 

"Will you walk with me?" Ion asks. He glances past his brother's shoulder, to the water. "It hurts to see this place."

It is not a lie, though Inias does not need to know the true reason for his this pain. He does not ask either. At Ion's request, he smiles. Always patient, Inias. Always helpful. "Yes, of course," he says.

They leave this site in the human manner, through an opening in the chain fence. Quietly, they exchange water for trees. Day becomes night as they step. The moon casts silver shadows overhead. 

Inias peers up through the leaves. "I've always liked the view from this world. One moon. Distant stars. Galaxies, so small." 

Ion allows himself to voice honest thoughts. "It makes them exaggerate their importance," he says. "They forget how little they are in the design. A reminder would serve them well."

"It would serve us all," Inias replies.

Ion sighs. Their kind just experienced this reminder, didn't they? A single angel, playing God. The Kingdom of Heaven, nearly destroyed. 

Ion thinks of the fields of death. He has never felt so small.

"You miss him," Ion murmurs.

Inias nods. "Yes."

It is not in his brother's nature to lie. But Ion wishes he would. 

"Castiel broke us, Inias," he says. "He did what Lucifer could not."

"Castiel...dreamed." Inias smiles up at the trees. "He was wrong in the end, poor brother. But I will always envy his dreams." He turns a curious head. "Have you dreamed, Ion?"

"Yes," Ion says. In literal terms, it is a lie. He has never experienced the human definition of a dream.

But Ion has imagined things that should be beyond his station. Things that cannot be part of the design, or the mission reinforced by Naomi's adjustments. 

Inias frowns with surprise. Ion sets a hand on his shoulder.

He kisses Inias under these watchful trees. His brother's lips are soft beneath his. They part slightly, caught of guard. A breath, sucked in.

It would not surprise Ion if his brother pulled away. But Inias does not. He wraps's his arms around Ion and draws close to him. Ion's back is rubbed through through the fabric of his suit. 

"Is this what you dream of?" Inias asks.

Ion closes his eyes. His dreams are of true freedom. An existence not tied to to Heaven or Naomi.

Ion dreams of being a man. Unaware of the greater design, and not bothered by his role in it. Eating and sleeping. Feeling and living. He dreams of experiencing a true moment like this. To look into Inias' eyes and see...love! Or desire! Or...

Not...this smile of kinship. Sad, vacant devotion. Loyalty. Nothing else.

"I dream of many things," Ion says. He cups Inias' face in his hands, thumbs stroking his cheeks. "Dreams are not good, Inias. It's better to avoid them."

"Yes," Inias agrees, but his expression is wistful. There is a sigh on his lips that Ion kisses away gently.

Then, Ion lets go. He has to let go. He is not human. Or Castiel.

"We should go home." This time, it is Inias who suggests their return.

And it is Ion who shakes his head. "Not yet." He turns his head against memories of blood and ash. 

Ion starts when he feels something. Inias' fingers, laced with his. He stares. 

His surprise earns a hopeful smile. "I'll stay with you," Inias offers. "If you'll have me?"

Ion would have his brother for eternity if he could. But he is content to nod. "Yes. Thank you." 

If tonight is all they have, then tonight will be enough.

*The End*

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked! I'm on [Tumblr](http://daisy4days.tumblr.com) if you want to say hi.
> 
> And congrats again to the [SPN Rare Ships Newsletter](http://spn-weirdnews.livejournal.com)!


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